It's a Date
by StBridget
Summary: When Danny's date cancels on Valentine's Day, Danny takes Steve out instead. McDanno pre-slash/slash. Not related to my series.
1. Chapter 1

**Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators.**

Steve McGarrett was just about to head out to a bar to drown his sorrows at being alone for Valentine's Day and maybe find some company when he got a text from his partner, Danny Williams.

 _Wanna get together?_

 _I thought you had a date_ Steve texted back.

 _She cancelled. So, we on?_

That was certainly a much better offer than sitting alone in a bar, and much better company than anyone he'd find there. Steve didn't allow him to think about what kind of "company" he wanted from Danny.

 _Sure. Beer and pizza at my place?_

There was a pause before Danny's response.

 _Actually, I have reservations. Be a shame to waste them._

Steve felt a flutter in his stomach. He tamped it down. Danny was just being pragmatic. It wasn't actually a date, was it?

 _Sure_ he texted back.

 _Great_. –Steve tried not to read relief in that response.— _Pick you up about 7? Dress nice—no cargoes!_

Steve had to grin, but he also had to wonder just where Danny had gotten reservations. Certainly sounded like a romantic evening. Why would he want to share it with Steve, pragmatism or not? It wasn't like Danny was out anything if he canceled. _It's not a date, it's not a date, it's not a date,_ Steve told himself.

 _Sure. See you then._

Steve agonized over what to wear. He didn't want to be too dressy, but he didn't want to be underdressed, and, let's face it, he wanted to impress Danny. He tried on what had to be his sixth outfit. He didn't think Mary Ann spent this much time getting ready for a date.

Finally, he settled on black dress pants and a purple button-down shirt. He thought about wearing a tie (yes, contrary to popular belief—i.e. Danny's—he did in fact own a tie—several, actually), but decided Danny would die of shock. He debated a jacket and decided not to put one on, but to bring his black blazer downstairs just in case.

Danny rang the doorbell at precisely 7 o'clock (which amazed Steve—Danny always just barged in). _He's just being polite (for once). It's not a date,_ Steve reminded himself. Steve had been pacing his living room for the past 15 minutes repeating that to himself like a mantra.

Steve opened the door and gaped at his partner. Danny looked _amazing_ —gray slacks, blue shirt that exactly matched his eyes (and Steve wanted to know where exactly he'd found it—he'd buy Danny a dozen just to see him in them every day), blue and gray striped tie (of course), and gray jacket (good thing Steve had grabbed the blazer).

Danny smirked at Steve. "See anything you like?"

Steve pulled himself together. "You look great, Danny."

"Thanks." Danny ran his eyes appreciatively over Steve. "You clean up pretty good yourself. You ready?"

 _It's not a date, it's not a date, it's not a date_ , Steve repeated mentally.

Steve automatically held his hand out for the keys, but Danny snatched the away. "Ah, ah, ah. This is my show. I'm driving."

 _It's not a date. It's not a date._

Steve acquiesced (more or less graciously), and got in the passenger seat, trying not to twitch at the unfamiliar sensation. To his surprise, Danny drove them out of the city to a small inn on a cliff with attached restaurant. Steve had a feeling Danny had been anticipating a little more than just dinner. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen, no matter how much Steve wanted it to. _It's not a date_.

Danny came around and opened the door for Steve, surprising him ( _it's not a date_ ). They walked into the restaurant. Danny gave his name to the maître d', and they were led to a candlelit table in the back overlooking the ocean. The view was breathtaking, and Steve let out a whistle.

"You go all out, don't you? Melissa doesn't know what she's missing."

A look Steve couldn't place flitted over Danny's face. "Yeah, well, her loss." He passed a menu to Steve. "Order what you want. It's on me."

 _It's not a date._

"You don't have to do that," Steve protested.

Danny shrugged. "Hey, I signed up for the Valentine's experience, and I'm going to get it, even if I have to share it with my Neanderthal partner. I mean, have you even ever been in a place with cloth napkins?" He grinned to take the sting out of his words.

Steve pretended to be affronted. "You wound me, Danno. I've been to classy restaurants before. I can eat with a fork and everything."

Danny laughed. They lapsed into companionable silence while they perused their menus. Once they'd ordered, Steve leaned back in his chair. "So, why did Melissa bail on you?"

Danny wouldn't look him in the eye. "Actually, we broke up. Too many secrets between us, she said. I guess I can't blame her."

Steve had a sudden flash of insight. _It_ _ **is**_ _a date._ "This wasn't just today, was it?"

Danny still refused to look at him. "No, it was a couple of weeks ago."

Steve knew he shouldn't push it, but he had to be sure. "So, why didn't you find some other woman to go with you?"

Danny fiddled with his napkin. "No one was interested, I guess."

"I know plenty of women who'd love to go out with someone as nice and good-looking as you," Steve said. Whoops, that might be a little too revealing—that kind of honesty wasn't something they indulged in. But if Danny was laying it on the line, then Steve could, too. "If I was a woman, I'd love to go out with you." He took a deep breath and said what was on his mind. "I'd love to go out with you, period."

Danny laughed nervously. "Don't look now, but I think you just did."

Steve looked around the cozy, intimate dining room and out at the view. "If this is how you treat all your dates, I'll go out with you any time."

It was Danny's turn to take a deep breath. "Would you? Go out with me, I mean?" He finally looked Steve in the eye, and Steve could see the love—and the fear—in them.

Steve reached across the table and took Danny's hand. "You mean a second date?"

Danny looked relieved. "Yeah, I guess I do."

Steve squeezed Danny's hand. "I'd love to."

 **A/N: I'm planning on developing this story line, and I have a second chapter in mind (though this one didn't come out quite the way I intended, so I'll have to tweak it), but I don't really know where I'm going. Suggestions are welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

The drive back was relaxed, comfortable, maybe even more so than the drive up when Steve had been trying to convince himself not to read too much into things. Steve was surprised it wasn't more awkward. Things were new between them, unsettled. Steve wasn't sure where they were going, but he found he didn't care. It was like a burden had been lifted off him. He didn't have to guess about Danny's feelings any more, and he didn't have to hide his own.

Danny kept his hand on Steve's thigh (when he wasn't waving it around in time to his words), and Steve reveled in the touch. He wanted to return it, but he didn't want to distract Danny, so he placed his hand on top of Danny's instead.

Steve was disappointed when they pulled up at his house. He didn't want the night to end. "Come in for coffee?" he asked.

Danny declined regretfully. "It's late, and we have work tomorrow. Some other time, though."

Steve grinned. "Like you don't just invite yourself over whenever you want."

Danny laughed. "True."

He surprised Steve by getting out of the car and walking him to the door. They stood awkwardly on the porch. "I'm not sure what to say," Danny said finally. "I'll call you doesn't seem appropriate somehow." He grinned.

"How about 'see you tomorrow'?"

Danny's grin widened. "Yeah. That sounds good. Can't wait. Even if it is just at work." He leaned up and gave Steve a kiss on the cheek, but it wasn't enough. Steve caught Danny's face with his hand and kissed him gently on the lips.

"I had a great time tonight." Steve said.

"Yeah, me too." Bolder now, Danny gave Steve a kiss of his own. "For a Valentine's Day that could have really sucked, it turned out okay."

"Best Valentine's Day ever," Steve affirmed. One last kiss and Danny was gone, but not forever, only for the night. Steve couldn't wait until morning.

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A/N: So I thought I knew where I was going with this, then this little chapter popped up and refused to go away, so I'm not sure. But I still have the chapter 2 I originally planned, which still works, and we'll see where I go from there. There will be a second story with the culmination of their relationship (no, not sex; this is staying T).


	3. Chapter 3

Steve wasn't sure what he expected the next morning, but it wasn't normalcy. He was expecting _something_ to be different. He didn't expect Danny to waltz into his house like usual, ranting about something or other (he was mid-rant when he walked in, so Steve wasn't actually sure what he was talking about, but that was nothing new, either), and pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning, babe," Danny greeted Steve. Steve just stood there, unsure what to say. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just. . ." Steve trailed off, still unable to find words.

"What, you expected things to be different?" Danny's hands began waving. "Why should it? Just because we went out on a date doesn't mean things should be all awkward between us. We're always up in each other's space anyway, and I always just waltz in and help myself to coffee, so why should it be any different?"

"Sounds like we've been dating all along," Steve pointed out.

Danny paused at that. "Hunh. Guess so. Fancy that."

Steve was feeling braver now. "So, do I at least get a good morning kiss?"

Danny smirked. "Well, since you asked so nicely." He leaned over and gave Steve a kiss. He meant it to be just a peck, but Steve kissed back, and he lingered longer than he intended.

"Good morning," Steve smirked back.

Danny gave him one more quick kiss. "Good morning. Now, come on, we'll be late for work."

Just like that, it was back to normal. Steve grabbed Danny's keys, and Danny complained like usual. He did touch Steve possibly a little more than usual, but there was no hand on Steve's thigh like the night before, much to Steve's disappointed. But he was driving, and he had to admit that might be a little distracting.

They got to the office and greeted everyone same as always. Steve felt like he had a sign over his head-"Danny and I are dating"—but nobody seemed to notice. There was one moment when Kono asked Danny how his Valentine's date went, and Danny smirked and looked at Steve significantly before replying "Best Valentine's ever."

"Melissa's a lucky girl," Chin remarked. Danny smirked at Steve again but didn't reply.

So that was how it was going to be. Steve was a little sad that they weren't telling the team, but he didn't let it show. Danny called him on it when the rest of the team went out for lunch, leaving Danny and Steve behind. "What's up, babe?"

"Aren't we going to tell them?" Steve asked.

"Is that what's got you bothered? Of course we're going to tell them."

"But you didn't," Steve pointed out.

Danny shrugged. "Let them think what they will. Didn't see the need to broadcast it either."

"But we will tell them? Soon?"

"Soon as they get back from lunch, if you want," Danny replied.

Steve thought about it. "No, that's okay. Let's just see how it goes."

Danny kissed him. "Don't worry, babe, it's gonna go great."

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A/N: This continues to not go as planned. I swear, the second date will be the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the week passed much the same. There were "Good morning" kisses, and "Good night" kisses, and maybe a little more touching than usual, but otherwise things were the same as normal, and none of their colleagues seemed to notice anything different.

Until Friday. Danny had gone to HPD to get some files, and the rest of the team were grouped around the smart table waiting for him.

"So, anybody have any big plans for the weekend?" Kono asked.

"Just some surfing," Chin said.

"I've got a round of golf scheduled tomorrow," Lou said.

"How about you, boss? Got a hot date?" Kono teased.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Steve replied before he could think better of it.

Chin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Who's the lucky girl?"

Steve knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't resist yanking their chains. "Who said it was a girl?"

Lou and Chin just cocked their eyebrows, but Kono was less discreet. "Oh, my god! It's Danny!" Her eyes widened as further realization hit. "You were his hot Valentine's date!"

"Oh, really? What happened to Melissa?" Lou asked.

"They broke up."

"When were you going to tell us?" Kono demanded.

Danny came up just then. "Tell you what?" Kono, Lou, and Chin looked studiously down at the smart table, and Steve refused to meet his eyes. Danny sighed. "You told them, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't!" Steve protested. "They guessed!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Danny said.

"Hey, we think it's great!" Kono said. "You two were made for each other."

"Absolutely," Chin agreed.

"Yeah, man, congratulations," Lou chimed in.

"Thank you," Danny said graciously. "Now, if we're done discussing Steve's and my love life, can we get back to work?"

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A/N: Okay, I lied. Date 2 will be next chapter. Really. I swear.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally! Their second date! :)  
**

Steve picked Danny up at 10 Saturday morning, early enough they'd still have the whole day, but not so early Danny would bitch about "stupid Super Seals who don't know enough to sleep in on their days off."

Danny eyed Steve suspiciously and he loaded a cooler and blanket in the Camaro. "We're not going hiking, are we?"

"Nope."

"Surfing?"

"Danno, do you see any surfboards?"

"So where are we going?" Danny asked.

"You'll see," Steve said mysteriously. "Just get in."

Danny did, still suspicious. His eyes grew wide in surprise when they pulled up at their destination. "Oh, wow," he said, looking at the familiar view.

"It's your spot," Steve said. "The one you always go to." He was suddenly nervous. "I hope that's okay. I hope you don't think I'm intruding or anything."

"No, no, it's perfect," Danny assured him, getting out and looking at the view.

Steve spread out the blanket he'd brought, putting a vase of tropical flowers in the center. "I thought we could have a picnic."

Danny smiled. "I'd like that." He looked at Steve's setup. "Wow, you really went all out."

"I thought about candles," Steve said seriously, "but I thought they'd look silly in the daytime."

"Don't worry," Danny said. "This is plenty romantic.

Steve gave him a sappy smile. "I'm glad."

Steve laid out the food, all Danny's favorites. They chatted about this and that as they ate. When they were finished, Steve pulled out a Liliha's box.

Danny's face lit up. "Coco puffs?"

"All your favorites," Steve confirmed.

Danny selected a chocolate coco puff and took a huge bite, closing his eyes in bliss. He then offered the coco puff to Steve, who also took a bite. Before Steve could swallow, Danny was leaning in, kissing him, chasing the taste of the sweet dessert with his tongue.

Steve swallowed hard and kissed Danny back. It was their first real kiss, and Steve reveled in it. He pulled Danny close, pursuing the other man's tongue back into his mouth and twining around it with his own. The kiss broke, and Steve kissed down Danny's neck to his shoulder, pulling Danny's shirt aside and nipping lightly, then sucking the tender skin.

Danny moaned. "Yeah, babe, tell everyone I'm yours." He tugged Steve's face back up to his own and locked their lips together again. As the kiss deepened, Steve pushed at Danny's chest, intending to lay him down on the ground.

Danny resisted. "Whoa, babe, stop."

Steve pulled back as if burned. "Sorry, I didn't mean. . .I'm going too fast, aren't I?"

Danny kissed him. "No," he said reassuringly. "It's just that the ground's not very comfortable. If we're going to pursue this—and I hope we are-, I'd rather do it someplace softer, like a bed."

Steve sighed in relief and leaned back in, kissing Danny hard, then pulling him close when they came up for air. Steve tucked Danny in close to his side, his arm around the shorter man. "Let's just stay here a little while longer," he said, unwilling to break the closeness he felt in this moment.

Danny snuggled in closer. "Okay by me."

They watched the waves in silence for a moment, until Danny broke the quiet. "You know, this has always been my favorite place, but now I love it even more."

Steve kissed the top of his head. "That's why I brought you here. I know it's your special place."

Danny kissed him on the lips. "Now it's our special place."


	6. Chapter 6

Once again, Steve was surprised at how normal things were after they left the lookout. They stopped by Danny's house for the Silverado, then Danny followed Steve in the Camaro back to Steve's house. They settled on the couch to watch a game, arguing loudly over who had the better team, as usual. So maybe Danny was nestled a bit closer to Steve than usual—well, a lot closer, tucked under Steve's arm with his head resting on Steve's chest. And so maybe Steve was kneading Danny's neck muscles to relax him. And so maybe somewhere along the way Danny fell asleep on Steve, leaving Steve comfortable and content with the warm body sprawled on top of him.

Danny stirred just as the game was ending. "Who won?" he asked sleepily.

Steve kissed the top of his head. "Your team. Don't gloat," he warned as Danny opened his mouth.

Danny looked innocent. "Who's gloating? Just because my team so rightfully trampled your team in the mud doesn't mean I'm going to gloat. Am I the type to gloat?"

Steve resisted the urge to reply to that, instead pointing out "You didn't even see the game."

"Whatever," was Danny's clever response.

Steve got up and started rummaging in his kitchen for food. "You wanna grill some steaks, or you wanna order pizza?"

Danny yawned and stretched. "Pizza's good, as long as there's no pineapple."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it on my side," Steve assured him. He called in the order, half ham and pineapple for him, half pepperoni for Danny. He grabbed a couple of beers and returned to the living room.

They watched the post-game show while waiting for their pizza, Danny pointing out every "brilliant" play his team made and every "lame-ass" play Steve's team made while Steve grumbled good-naturedly. They ate their pizza and drank their beers companionably, bantering back and forth just like always, then turned on some mindless action movie, Danny snuggling in close to Steve again.

Naturally, Danny fell fast asleep again. Steve nudged him awake. "C'mon, Danno, let's get you to bed."

Danny rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Yeah, okay." He looked around. "What'd I do with my keys?"

"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you drive home?" Steve asked incredulously. "You're dead on your feet. You're staying here tonight."

"Thanks, babe," Danny said, "but your couch is really uncomfortable. I'll take my chances driving home."

"Who said anything about the couch?" Steve said, and okay, maybe he didn't quite keep the leer out of his voice.

Danny cocked an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you being a bit presumptuous?"

Steve gathered Danny in his arms and kissed his head. "Just sleep, I promise. I'm just not ready for you to leave yet."

"Okay, fine," Danny mumbled into Steve's shirt, already half-asleep again.

"Good." Steve kissed his head again and guided him up the stairs. Danny fell face-first on the bed.

"C'mon, Danno, let's get you undressed." Steve nudged Danny's sneaker-clad foot hanging off the edge of the bed.

"Don't wanna," Danny mumbled. "Comfy."

"You won't feel that way in the morning," Steve told him. A soft snore was his only response. Sighing, he began undressing Danny, the other man shifting as Steve pulled off his shirt, then his pants, leaving him just in boxers. It was strangely intimate. Steve found himself running his hands up Danny's arms and across his back, pressing kisses to the back of his neck. It wasn't sexual, just tender.

Steve stripped down to his boxers and slid into bed next to Danny. Sensing his presence, Danny moved closer and nestled into Steve's chest. Steve placed a final kiss on his head (that was quickly becoming a habit, one which he had no desire to break) and closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of skin-on-skin, feeling no desire to initiate anything more. His last thought before drifting off to sleep was he could get used to this.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve was momentarily confused when he woke up. He was in his bed, but he wasn't alone. A solid body was pressed against his own, and a head rested on his chest. He knew it wasn't Catherine, but there hadn't been anybody in his bed since. Until last night. The memory came flooding back. Danny. It was Danny in his bed.

Steve opened his eyes and looked down at the blond head on his chest. He couldn't help but smile. Danny was, well, cute when he was asleep—there was no other word for it. His blond hair was tousled, and he was making adorable—again, no other word—snuffling noises. Steve wrapped his arm around Danny and pulled him closer.

Danny stirred slightly. "Shhh," Steve said, kissing the top of Danny's head (definitely his new favorite thing). "It's alright. It's just me."

Danny murmured incoherently and settled back down, draping himself even more across Steve, wedging one of his legs between Steve's.

Steve sighed in contentment. They were both in only their boxers, and Danny's skin felt _so good_ against his own. He found himself wishing they weren't wearing boxers, not for any sexual reason, but because he wanted to feel every inch of Danny against every inch of him.

Steve couldn't resist laying little kisses on the back of Danny's neck, much as he had the night before. Danny stirred again, and Steve paused, not wanting to wake him up. The temptation was too great, though, and the butterfly kisses started again.

Danny stirred and swatted the back of his neck, as though swatting a mosquito. Steve had to suppress his laughter at how cute it was (there was that word again, but no other would do). Danny managed to swat Steve on the cheek. The hand paused, clearly puzzled at finding something other than a bug. The palm rested against Steve's cheek for a moment, then started stroking tenderly.

"Whatcha doing Steve?" Danny said sleepily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Steve apologized.

"Well, I'm awake now." Blue eyes stared up into Steve's. "You'd better have a good reason for waking me this early. On a Sunday. When I don't have to work."

"Not really. I just couldn't resist kissing you," Steve confessed.

"Is that so?" Danny grinned up at him and tilted his head for a kiss. Steve obliged, kissing him slow and deep. Danny sighed into the kiss.

Steve finally broke it. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll let you go back to sleep."

"I don't think so." Danny's grin turned wicked, and he rolled on top of Steve. "I'm up now, so you better do something about it."

Now Steve _really_ wished they weren't wearing boxers. He reached a hand down between them and felt Danny's cock through his boxers. He smirked back at Danny. "Yes, you're definitely up."

Danny rolled his hips against Steve's. "Like I said, what're you going to do about it."

"Oh, I'll think of something." Steve kissed Danny again, running his tongue against Danny's lips, seeking entrance. Danny granted it willingly, and Steve took advantage, mapping every inch of Danny's mouth with his tongue. The little pecks they'd been giving each other all week were nothing compared to this. They definitely had to do this more often.

Other things, too. Steve palmed Danny's cock again, and Danny moaned, tugging at Steve's boxers, then his own. "Off," he commanded.

Steve obliged, and soon they were both naked. Steve pulled Danny tight on top of him, taking a moment just to enjoy all that skin, just as he'd wanted.

Danny was impatient, though, and wiggled, his cock sliding against Steve's, making them both gasp. Steve kissed Danny again, hard, and reached a hand in between them.

It was over way too quickly, and they lay panting together. Steve couldn't keep his lips off Danny and went back to kissing his neck.

"You like doing that, don't you?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, I do," Steve said, laying more kisses down.

"Good. I like it."

Steve took that as encouragement and kept doing it. Soon, he felt Danny relax and resume his snuffling noises. Steve tightened his grip and nuzzled the top of Danny's head, thinking how much he'd love to wake up like this every day. Who knows, maybe it would happen. He certainly hoped so.


	8. Chapter 8

Steve got his wish, or close enough. More often than not, he woke up with Danny snuggled against his chest. Steve would rouse the blond with slow kisses, and they'd indulge in some love-making before getting up. At night, they'd come home, fix dinner (or order in, more likely), have some beers, watch some tv, and eventually go to bed together. It was a routine Steve had quickly gotten used to.

Steve couldn't remember the last time Danny had gone to his place for more than a few minutes. At first, he'd slept at his place when he had the kids. That stopped, with Grace at least, the night Danny and Grace had stayed at Steve's until 2 in the morning having a Disney marathon. Steve had gotten Mary's room ready for Grace, and Danny had gone to get sheets for the couch. Grace surprised him when she said, "For heaven's sake, just go sleep with Steve already. It's not like I don't know you two are sleeping together." After his cheeks had returned to their normal color (Danny was sure they'd turned red as a beet at the words that came out of his daughter's mouth), he did just that, and they hadn't gone back to his place since.

It was a little trickier with Charlie. Nights with him were rare, and Danny didn't want to jeopardize them by setting an example Rachel wouldn't approve of. When they did stay at Steve's (which seemed to happen more often than not), Danny would share a room with Charlie. Then, one day when Rachel picked him up at Steve's, Charlie mentioned how much fun he'd had sharing a room with Danno. Rachel had raised an eyebrow. After Grace had taken Charlie to the car, she said what was on her mind. "I would have thought you'd be sharing a room with Steve."

Danny was taken aback, and stammered and stuttered and turned red as a beet again. Rachel had smiled indulgently. "Don't think I don't know about you two. Charlie's old enough to understand about two people who love each other sharing a bed, and young enough not to have hang-ups about whether or not they're both males." After that, there hadn't been any need for Danny to go back to his place at all, really. So he hadn't.

Danny's stuff was all over the house. Clothes were in the closet, and toiletries were in the bathroom, naturally, but it was more than that. His movies were mixed with Steve's. So were his CD's. His books were on Steve's bookshelves. Even his knick-knacks and keepsakes had made their way over to Steve's. Pictures of Grace and Charlie were on the nightstand on his side of the bed, and both their artwork was on the fridge. Pictures of his parents and siblings were in the living room. He'd even brought his favorite painting from his place and hung it on the wall.

The kids had made their presence known as well, and not just in the plethora of Disney movies in Danny's collection. Both had swimsuits at Steve's house, and changes of clothes. Steve had gotten Charlie a stuffed dragon, and it graced the bed in "his" room. When Grace complained the quilt on Mary's (really her) bed was threadbare, Steve had let her choose a new one (and he was very relieved when she chose a plain lavender one; he'd been expecting (and fearing) pink ruffles or My Little Pony). Once that was done, the walls had to match, so Steve, Danny, and Grace had spent a weekend painting it. Then, naturally, they had to do Steve's old room up for Charlie. That had taken another weekend, and the very interesting experience of removing paint from a four-year-old boy.

There was only one thing wrong with this picture. Danny still had a lease on his old place. As far as Steve was concerned, it was just a waste of money. Danny was never there, and it was clear he wasn't going back. So why was he still holding on to it?

Steve voiced the question aloud one Saturday morning. He and Danny were lounging in bed, and the kids were asleep in their rooms down the hall.

"Why don't you move in with me?" Steve asked.

Danny chuckled. "I think I already have. Or hadn't you noticed?"

Steve grinned. "Oh, I've noticed. And I'm glad. But you still have a lease on your old place."

"Are you suggesting I should give it up?"

"Well, yeah," Steve said, as though it were obvious.

Danny gave him a quick kiss. "Good, because it ran out last month, and I didn't renew."

"When were you going to tell me?" Steve asked.

Danny shrugged as much as he was able snuggled into Steve's chest. "Didn't really think about it. It's just so obvious I'm _here_ , you know, it just never really occurred to me we hadn't talked about it. And I guess it didn't really occur to me that we needed to."

Steve returned the kiss, harder, longer, and deeper. "We don't. I want you here, as long as you'll stay."

"How does forever sound?"

Steve layered kisses on the back of Danny's neck, his favorite place, then kissed along his shoulder and down his chest. He paused just before latching onto a nipple. "Sounds good to me."

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A/N: This is the end of this installment. The next installment, "It's a Wedding" (and I'll let you speculate on what that's about ;) ), will be coming shortly, but I want to finish Dragon's Clutch and work on a major Ninja story I have planned (my 100th story on the site!).


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